ACF50 - Dirt Magnet or sparkly bike?

[rjsmith26]

All,

Question, some people mention ACF50 great for protection during winter riding. Some of the posts seem to indicate - cover the bike and then it acts as a magnet for dirt until you give the bike a really good wash.


http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=250745&highlight=acf50


Others, seem to indicate, spray it on and give the bike a post ACF50 polish and the bike stays nice and sparkly.

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253108&highlight=acf50

The question is which is right?

Don't ride a huge amount in winter - do I acf and end up with a dirt magnet bike next spring summer autumn? or do I just ensure a really good wash after any winter excursions? or do I ACF and then ensure excess wiped / rubbed away so less sticky?

Have already bought ACF but don't really want a sticky bike from now on.

Thoughts / experiences please?

 

[svenski]

Any question you have or unsure about ACF 50 email these Guys (Roy) there is nothing he doesn't know about the stuff as he works with it for a living...


http://www.allyearbiker.co.uk/index.html

 

[Skipssong]

Wel, I'm sure someone with much more experience than me will come along shortly but whilst we're sitting here waiting......

ACF is a protector, a good protector. An unfortunate by product is that, if not cleaned regularly (requiring re-application of said ACF), by Spring your bike will look like it's been through, if not dragged out of, a field.

But worry not. By far the vast number of users will testify (there's always someone prepared to be the antidote to the golden rule) that the first clean of spring will uncover a gleamy, shiny bike; well at least as gleamy and shiny as the bike was before you ACF'd it. It's good but it's no miracle.

 

[jonnie comet]

Hmmm.....My 2p....

Clean your 'bike, then blather it in ACF50......Ride through winter.....Forget about any sort of cleaning.....

Spring time....mega clean....use any fancy cleaner, or Gunk or paraffin etc....your 'bike will be just fine....no corossion etc.....as in NON !!!

Happy to supply pics of my 850/1150/1200.....Not the tiniest scrap of corossion.

I always smirk when I see ad's for Beemers stating 'usual corossion issues....fork lowers...front engine cover etc'....

ACF50 and a bit of graft.....:Zero (really) corossion......

 

[Stormforce8]

jonnie comet has it absolutely spot on

Give bike a deep clean at the start of winter and apply ACF50.

During the depths of winter, if you really can't stand seeing your bike covered in salt etc, then give it a COLD hose down only.

If it makes you feel any better then feel free to reapply more ACF50 (but it doesn't need it)

Come the spring time give your bike another deep clean.

That's it

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

Yep your bike will look like crap but once cleaned in the spring it will look as good as it did before the winter. Lets face it, any bike, protected or not will look like crap within a mile of driving so it isn't like everyone is going to see a nice sparkly bike through the winter. What it does do is save you having to clean the bike fully every time your out and possibly missing a bit that ends up corroding.

 

[STUBBS]

just spray it on and forget about cleaning until the spring

 

[dakarDude]

+1 on what Mr. STUBBS says.

I'm currently running a KTM 525EXC for Winter riding and commuting. Its coated in ACF. True, it does attaract dirt and by Spring it will look like a right dog's dinner, BUT, no corrosion

Best thing to do is coat your bike for Winter, spray the bike down with cold water after your Winter rides to keep the salt at bay and if you really want to play it safe, mid-Winter, clean off the bike with SDOC100, re-apply ACF again, then SDOC it off a final time in Spring. Your bike will be mint. I can say this with confidence having put an 09' GSA through last year's Winter, commuted on it every day and it came out the other side mint after SDOC'ing the ACF off it.

I spoke at length with Roy at AYB at a hosted day a couple of months ago and got chatting with him about bikes ACF'd being dirt magnets - he was saying this is really only the case if you over-do the ACF coating. The trick is to lightly coat the bike. He says this means you will not have a dirt magnet.

Either way, just coat the fecker and keep on top of the cold water rinses and get it cleaned up in Spring and you'll be a happy camper.

 

[FatBob]

Well, I hope all the ACF fans are right. I have to day my experience is less positive. Bought my bike in October 2008, tried to get it ACF'ed by AllYearBiker but failed as there were no treatment dates near me I think so I did the ACF myself. Maybe I didn't do a very good job of it but I covered the thing in ACF, rode through the winter, gave it a rinse off about once a week to get rid of salt but no detergent to avoid washing off the ACF. Come the spring I cleaned off all the crud to reveal...a 6 month old bike with corrosion on the frame, wheels, swingarm, centre stand. Now I am paranoid about riding on salted roads, even after treatment with ACF, for fear of the resulting corrosion.

 

[seadog]

did mine today so we shall see in a few months when i clean her

 

[degsey]

Well, I hope all the ACF fans are right. I have to day my experience is less positive. Bought my bike in October 2008, tried to get it ACF'ed by AllYearBiker but failed as there were no treatment dates near me I think so I did the ACF myself. Maybe I didn't do a very good job of it but I covered the thing in ACF, rode through the winter, gave it a rinse off about once a week to get rid of salt but no detergent to avoid washing off the ACF. Come the spring I cleaned off all the crud to reveal...a 6 month old bike with corrosion on the frame, wheels, swingarm, centre stand. Now I am paranoid about riding on salted roads, even after treatment with ACF, for fear of the resulting corrosion.

just ride it, thats what its for

I coated my bike up the first week in November and I havent done anything to it yet and I wont until the end of Feb

 

[RideTheWind]

Hmmm.....My 2p....

Clean your 'bike, then blather it in ACF50......Ride through winter.....Forget about any sort of cleaning.....

Spring time....mega clean....use any fancy cleaner, or Gunk or paraffin etc....your 'bike will be just fine....no corossion etc.....as in NON !!!

Happy to supply pics of my 850/1150/1200.....Not the tiniest scrap of corossion.

I always smirk when I see ad's for Beemers stating 'usual corossion issues....fork lowers...front engine cover etc'....

ACF50 and a bit of graft.....:Zero (really) corossion......

I agree. I ride everyday and mine looks as shiney as when it came out of the box Brilliant stuff, well worth the effort

 

[Konica]

I agree. I ride everyday and mine looks as shiney as when it came out of the box Brilliant stuff, well worth the effort

same, but i clean my bike after every ride even with ACF50 on, but give it a wipe on the parts that need it with a cloth with ACF on it afterwards. Keeps the wheels looking beaut too. my bike has to be perfeck before i put her away for the night. it just means if it's too dark and i don't have time to clean it i know it's not going to fall apart with corrosion

 

[Bigyin]

This is what my 1150 looked like last week after November to January riding on heavily salted country roads covered in crap and the joys of windblown sand too as my daily work route takes me near beach areas ........ hurt to look at it but left it alone

Cleaned it all off this weekend and underneath was a shiny bike with no ill effects from the winter riding apart from the corrosion that was already on the bike when i bought it (flaking paint at the base of the front engine cover)......the ACF coating stopped it dissolving completely over winter

I recoated it at the weekend to use what was left in the can

 

[rudiemoto]

my 2p
clean your 1150,stick it in shed and buy a 1200gsa as a winter hack
i did my 1150 has not been so clean




as for adv smurf aka dakardude
i got ak

 

[Bounce]

Hmmm.....My 2p....

Clean your 'bike, then blather it in ACF50......Ride through winter.....Forget about any sort of cleaning.....

Spring time....mega clean....use any fancy cleaner, or Gunk or paraffin etc....your 'bike will be just fine....no corossion etc.....as in NON !!!

I always smirk when I see ad's for Beemers stating 'usual corossion issues....fork lowers...front engine cover etc'....

ACF50 and a bit of graft.....:Zero (really) corossion......

+1

 

[Annette]

This is what my 1150 looked like last week after November to January riding on heavily salted country roads covered in crap and the joys of windblown sand too as my daily work route takes me near beach areas ........ hurt to look at it but left it alone

Cleaned it all off this weekend and underneath was a shiny bike with no ill effects from the winter riding apart from the corrosion that was already on the bike when i bought it (flaking paint at the base of the front engine cover)......the ACF coating stopped it dissolving completely over winter

I recoated it at the weekend to use what was left in the can

That's a dirty bike?? Mine always looks like that

 

[dakarDude]

Well, I hope all the ACF fans are right. I have to day my experience is less positive. Bought my bike in October 2008, tried to get it ACF'ed by AllYearBiker but failed as there were no treatment dates near me I think so I did the ACF myself. Maybe I didn't do a very good job of it but I covered the thing in ACF, rode through the winter, gave it a rinse off about once a week to get rid of salt but no detergent to avoid washing off the ACF. Come the spring I cleaned off all the crud to reveal...a 6 month old bike with corrosion on the frame, wheels, swingarm, centre stand. Now I am paranoid about riding on salted roads, even after treatment with ACF, for fear of the resulting corrosion.

You should cold water it after every ride. I think this is where it went wrong.

 

[dakarDude]

my 2p
clean your 1150,stick it in shed and buy a 1200gsa as a winter hack
i did my 1150 has not been so clean




as for adv smurf aka dakardude
i got ak

Adv Smurf indeed

Good re. AK. Now there is one item that will never let you down, corroded or not That thing will outlive you, your grand kids and their kids

 

[FatBob]

That's a dirty bike?? Mine always looks like that

I don't call that dirty. I can still see plenty of silver. It looks like a bike with a bit of dirt. Aftes less than a week of commuting mine looks like dirt with a bit of bike. I will post a picture if I get chance.

Typical winter weather is horrible. Wet enough to make all the crud stick to the bike but not wet enough to wash any of it off again.

I suppose there is a limit to how dirty it can get - once all the metal is covered in crap, any more crap just sticks to the existing crap not to the metal so a bit of dirt or a lot of dirt doesn't make much difference?